Hello everyone

welcome both of you!

Cliffs Notes of Weight Loss:

• Weight loss happens in THE KITCHEN, fitness happens in the gym
• small, sustainable changes
• Understand weight fluctuations are normal. Thinks of a roller coaster, not a steep mountain slope down. Some weeks up, some weeks down. Its the OVERALL TREND that matters
• Learn to weigh your food ON A FOOD SCALE
• Learn how to find ACCURATE DATABASE ENTRIES
• BE ACTIVE - get off your butt and MOVE. Find SOMETHING you enjoy. If your activity is limited, find ways to move that you are ABLE to do
• Deprivation is the key to Binging and falling off the wagon. Learn how to fit your favorite things in regularly. There are no 'bad foods' Just 'bad quantities'.
• One 'bad' day will not undo your deficit.
• You did not gain the weight quickly. You will not lose it quickly. Better to lose it slowly, and KEEP IT OFF, then lose it quick, and gain it all back and more!

Useful Links

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1

and basically ... all of these

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-health-fitness-and-diet-must-reads#latest

when i first started working out, i didnt even consider it that. i just wanted to try and be a bit healthier. losing weight wasn't even my goal. I mean, i needed to, and knew i needed to, but i just wanted to try and be healthier. I started by just going on a walk 2-3 times a week. and.... it wasn't much of a walk. at almost 400 pounds i could not go very far at all. 10 minutes was about all i had in me. but i kept doing it. and it didnt take long, really, before i could go a little bit longer. and then, i started to go more often. always when it was dark, i didnt want people to SEE me - but id go after dark, or early in the morning. often, both. more days added. my neighbor was a member at planet fitness and asked me if i wanted to go with her (she only went occasionally). I said sure. So I'd go with her. i thought i was going to die on the elliptical. lasted about 7 minutes. But kept going. maybe once a week with her? not very often. kept walking. By that point had started watching what I was eating (i think). Then i wanted to go to the gym more than she did, so got my own membership. That was back in 2014. So... all of it was a process. a long one. But I didnt give up. You dont have to work out to lose weight. As I said, that happens in the kitchen. But it does have many other benefits that your body does need. Find something you enjoy. Most Y's are affordable and have a wide variety of classes for all fitness levels. Make small changes. dont try to change everything overnight. little changes can lead to giant ones, if you give it enough time.

With recent changes to the forums, its not as easy to get to peoples profiles profiles anymore. The easiest way (from a computer) is to replace the user name (like in the url below) with the user name of the person you want to add. ( i cant help you with doing it from a phone as I dont use the forums on my phone). I dont care if you add me, but I will warn you, I am not the friend for everyone. I am very supportive, and off and on all day, so see most things, but I swear like a sailor and ramble incessantly about my life, and not just about diet and weight crap. I have an awesome group of friends who are pretty much the same. You are welcome to board to crazy train and hop off if you so choose. https://www.myfitnesspal.com/profile/callsitlikeiseeit